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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. race — humankind
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitch — completely
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. race — a contest
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com